The present invention relates to a method of promoting skin cell metabolism.
In order to survive and work properly, eukaryotic cells require energy. This energy comes mostly from the diet. In fact, foodstuffs get successively digested and metabolized to simple molecular entities that the individual cells, using their mitochondria, can convert into energy. However, the mitochondrial membranes are only permeable to certain molecules. For this reason, carbohydrates and certain amino acids have to be broken down in the cytosol into pyruvate. In contrast, fatty acids can be absorbed by the mitochondria with the help of a specific carrier, L-carnitine.
Once these nutrients are inside the mitochondria, they are further metabolized to a 2-carbon molecule, acetyl-coenzyme A (acetyl CoA) that fuels the tricarboxylic acid cycle also known as Krebs cycle. This cycle generates carbon dioxide (CO2) and electron-transporters NADH and FADH2 that feed the electron transport chain or respiratory chain reducing oxygen (O2) into water (H2O) and generating a proton gradient. This proton gradient creates a natural flow back into the mitochondrial matrix through a protein complex that produces ATP, the principle cellular energy store. For example, ATP is directly used in biochemical synthesis, signal transduction, cell movement, cellular division, and ion pumping.
The main oxygen consumer in the skin are the mitochondria, which are responsible for skin cell energy metabolism. Oxygen consumption in skin cells (e.g., uptake into and/or utilization by the cells) impacts on skin health, e.g., skin firmness and elasticity, skin tone/texture, and skin barrier function.
The invention features a method of promoting skin cell metabolism, e.g., promoting energy production or the uptake of oxygen into and/or the utilization of oxygen (O2) in the skin, comprising topically administering a promoting amount of (i) carnitine or a therapeutically acceptable salt or ester thereof and (ii) pyruvic acid or a therapeutically acceptable salt or ester thereof.
What is meant by promoting energy production is increasing metabolic activity in the skin (e.g., the production of ATP in the skin cells or the increase of mitochondrial activity in the skin cell). What is meant by promoting the uptake of oxygen is either (i) increasing the amount of oxygen stored in the skin cell or (ii) increasing the rate by which oxygen is taken in by the skin cell. What is meant by promoting the utilization of oxygen is either (i) increasing the amount of oxygen utilized, e.g., converted to CO2 or other compounds, in the skin cell or (ii) increasing the rate by which oxygen is utilized by the skin cell. In one embodiment, the increase in an amount or rate is at least about 5% such as at least about 20%.
In one embodiment, the method further comprises topically administering mineral water having a mineralization of at least about 200 mg/L, e.g., wherein the mineral water comprises at least about 10 mg/L of calcium and about 5 mg/L of magnesium.
The promotion of oxygen consumption in the skin (e.g., uptake into and/or utilization by the cells) provides healthier skin, e.g., enhances skin firmness and elasticity, evens skin tone/texture, makes skin more radient, enhances skin glow, and enhances skin barrier function.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the detailed description of the invention and from the claims.